Their Future
by LabyrinthineTwilight
Summary: Sequel to Her Past and Her Scars. The Past and the Present have come crashing together for Kagome. Together with old and new friends, she must come to terms with the way the world is now. Together they must face Their Future
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

(With Tsunade)

Tsunade watched quietly as the group said their good-byes. Plans had already been made on which of them were going and which were staying in the village, it seemed. She tried to recall their names but she'd been distracted when they'd been introduced by the lack of Leaf ninja at their parting. None of Team Kakashi was present, nor were any of Kagome's year mates. It seemed that Kagome planned on leaving without a word to any of them. The thought brought on a headache as she realized how Naruto would react when he found out.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," Kagome said approaching her with a bow. "I know this hasn't been easy on you but I'm truly grateful for this."

Tsunade snorted. "Hasn't been easy? Understatement of the year but you shouldn't thank me yet. Naruto and the others still don't know that you're leaving so I can imagine what they'll do when they find out. Don't thank me until I've stopped them from dragging you back."

At least the black haired girl had the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't….I couldn't face them now that they know how much I've lied to them. They wouldn't trust me."

Before Tsunade could contradict her doubts Seeshomaru approached. "Lady Tsunade, thank you for the hospitality you have shown us. We will return in a few months with as much information is possible about the situation."

"Try to report back as often as you can, Kagome. Just because I'm letting you go doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want. This is a mission and you will treat it as such."

"Yes, ma'am." Kagome said with a bob of her head.

With that the group of travelers was off. Tsunade had hoped that she could hold them back long enough for someone to see Kagome leaving and try to stop her. Of course, no one from Team Kakashi had any reason to be out this way this early in the morning. Not even Sakura had duties near the gates this morning so her hopes were in vain. There was nothing and no one that could stop Kagome from leaving now. Tsunade sighed and turned to return to her office to prepare for the moment her old teammates recognized her absence, especially Naruto.

(With the Gang)

Only Kagome looked back at the village as they left. A part of her wished she had told the others that she was leaving so that she could have had them there at their parting. However, when she peered back there was no one watching them. The guards had even returned to their duty. There was no way to describe the way she felt about her situation. In leaving the village she no longer felt like a Shinobi, even though she still wore the symbol of the leaf on her arm. On the other hand, she was not the demon-slaying, miko that had traveled the feudal era. Both were her but they were not the same and she was not either of them.

"Dare I ask what's on your mind?" Sango asked.

"Everything is just changing so fast. I'm still trying to make sense of it all." Kagome responded.

Her old friend gave her a side glance. "I guess this world is different from our own but now our world is becoming a part of it. You of all people should feel at home like this."

"No, not really. I got used to this world the way it was. I had a life, not the best but it was…it was good. I never thought this would be how it all turned out." Kagome said. There was so much more she wanted to say but she felt all of the words stuck in her throat.

Sango, thankfully, let the conversation die without noticing. Neither cared to discuss _how_ Kagome thought it would all end, there was an unspoken fear among them of that she meant. Instead they both focused on their surroundings. The air felt too heavy for a nearly empty forest and it was beginning to make them all ill at ease. They did not come across any demons even as they strayed further from the path. About an hour after dark they stopped at a clearing to make camp. Kagome took out a blank scroll and took notes on what they had seen. The short paragraph felt almost like a lie as she put the scroll away. She guessed she had been lying to everyone for so long that the truth no longer felt right.

"Sleep, no doubt there will be less time for that as we go on." Sesshoumaru ordered as he set himself up to take the watch.

(With Sasuke)

As it turned out, it was Sasuke who discovered Kagome's absence first. It came when he noticed that most of the guests in the Uchiha Compound were no longer there. He felt a sense of panic wash over him. She wouldn't have left without saying anything, to Naruto or Sakura or even Kakashi. Right? No matter how much she hated him, she wouldn't have abandoned her comrades. He had to find out. He just had to be sure. He rushed to her house only to find it dark. It wasn't too early, maybe they were at the training grounds. So that was where he went next only to find some of his former classmates gathered. The moment they admitted to not seeing any of the group that day he knew. He knew that they had left the village. He ran, he ran to find the others, to find _her_. Once he had them gathered he dragged them to the Hokage's office.

"Hello you three, I wondered how long it would take." Tsunade said as the barged in to her office.

Something dropped inside Sasuke.

"Granny," Naruto shouted. "Where's Kagome?"

 _Gone,_ Sasuke's mind supplied.

Tsunade sighed, looking up to meet each of their eyes. "Kagome and some of the others left early this morning. They felt it best to attempt to stymie the recent flood of demon attacks. And, seeing as they have the greatest amount of knowledge on the subject, I asked them to report the situation back to me."

"Where did they go?" Sakura asked.

"They didn't say. As far as I know, there was no planned location in mind. I suspect they'll follow any leads they can find and hunt as many demons as possible." Tsunade said with a shake of her head. "Sesshomaru assured me that they would be returning in a few months but it could easily be sooner than that."

There was little left that could be said. Somehow Naruto managed to find more to argue with Tsunade about while Sakura tried to calm them both down. Sasuke didn't hear anything they said over the rush of blood in his ears. He wished he had actually talked to her before she left. It was true that she hadn't sought them out after the battle but that didn't mean he couldn't have. Nothing but his own cowardice had stopped him from going to face her. When they had talked before the battle she had still been so angry and betrayed because of what he'd done. He didn't have the courage to try again to tell her that he still…

Somehow the others managed to drag him out of the office and back down to the training grounds. It felt so much like seeing her corpse all over again. It hurt, it hurt like she was gone forever. She didn't tell any of them that she was going. She just left. _Just like I did. But she always knew that I was going to, didn't she? She knew before I did. None of us had a clue that she was leaving._ He was wallowing, he knew it. Naruto was off yelling at Kakashi, at heaven, just yelling. Others had joined their little pity party.

A hand appeared on his shoulder. "Are you ok?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know."

She joined him on the ground. "Look at us." She said with a sad smile and he did. The group around him wore mixed expressions. "This is just like it was when you left. Naruto yelling, determined to drag you back even after he'd failed. The rest of us were just clueless on how. The only difference is that Kagome just pushed herself into her work and…"

"And I'm not doing anything." Sasuke said hanging his head. What could he do?

"You don't have the same options. Kagome was a hero, she was a jonin, and she had been appointed an anbu. Right now, you need to focus on getting back into the system and rhythm of the village. Then we can go out after her _as a team._ " He looked over at her in disbelief.

"She's right, you know?" Kakashi joined them as Naruto attempted to start a fight with Sai. "Which is why both you and Naruto will be working to make up for lost time. Both of you will be participating in the next chunin exam."

"How is that going to work? We're not a three-man team."

"There are ways around that. And with all that you two have been through you should do fine. Then, once you've advanced, we'll all go out and bring her home."

Naruto calmed down by then and came over to join them. He had heard Kakashi's speech about the chunin exam. The smile on his face told Sasuke that he was up for the challenge because without Sakura or Kagome it would be a challenge. Well if the idiot thought that they could succeed…who was he to disagree?

"So when do we start?" Sasuke asked.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

As it turned out Sesshoumaru had been right. The further they got from the village the more demons they encountered and the less time there was for rest. They found themselves reverting back to their old tricks, conning Lords or elders in to taking them into their houses. Though, as they found, they didn't always have to. Often enough Kagome's rank as a Leaf shinobi got them shelter and found without having to rely on cons. In those cases, Kagome could also send her reports back to the Leaf as she had agreed to before they left.

The battles with demons were largely different than they had been before. Low level demons were not what Naraku had brought into the ninja world. No, it was the mid-range to high level demons that were smarter and stronger. There were battles that had taken them days to win and had left them totally exhausted. The worst battles were the ones that put them between villages or hamlets and large numbers of powerful demons. Their fear pushed them harder. Even when they succeeded the destruction and loss was devastating. Kagome lamented that there was not more that could be done for these villages.

After one such battle they found themselves in the home of an elder whose son had been badly injured. "You saved my son's life, it is the very least I can do." The man had said.

Kagome had hidden her cringe as best she could but Sango caught her. Thankfully she didn't bring it up until they were alone.

"Are you alright?" she asked as they washed themselves.

"I didn't save this village. I condemned it." Kagome said. "If I had done things differently, if I hadn't pushed everyone away then this wouldn't have…."

"You can't take all the blame." Sango argued.

"Can't I though? If it weren't for me there would be no demons in this world. Naraku came to this world through me. I lived to protect the jewel but I could have stopped him. I…I got distracted."

The confession hung between them. If Sango knew what Kagome meant she didn't let on. Eventually they stepped out of the hot spring and dried off. They rejoined the group in the elder's house for a sparse meal. Kagome wrote out her report for Tsunade. She handed it off to one of the villagers to run to a messenger outpost. She hoped that there were no demons between the town on the outpost. She'd hate to send someone else to their death. So, she sat up with Sesshomaru watching for the messenger's return. The moment the boy returned she went inside with the others.

"Kagome, whatever burden you are trying to bare, don't do it alone." He told her as she left.

The next day they left the little village. The elders still looked at all of them like they were real heroes. Kagome still didn't feel much like it but she accepted their thanks. The same went for the next village and the village after that. Soon all the villages began to blur together. She almost began to believe she was back in the feudal era. Her homesickness, however, let her know that she was not there. She missed Naruto, Sakura, and even Kakashi. Some part of her even wanted to speak to Sasuke. Explain everything to him. Those feelings that she had for him kept pulling her back into her new reality. However, the greatest struggle of returning to demon slaying with the old Gang was the different fight styles. Humans, specifically the shinobi she had been fighting since coming to this world, fought with jutsu and choreographed movements. With demons there was no finesse, no plan. Humans used weapons, demons used claws. The wounds were poisoned from venomous claws and bites. They got better at tending the wounds and covering each other. Especially where it concerned Kagome. It had taken a few fights for them to stop over compensating for her perceived weaknesses. Days and weeks began to blur together and Kagome began to feel numb. Even her wounds stopped hurting and just ached.

"So, where are we exactly?" Inuyasha asked as the rested one night.

"Not far from the Land of Wind. If we continue in this direction the forest will begin to thin out and eventually become desert. Pushing on we would come to the Village Hidden in the Sand." Kagome explained rolling out her map.

"Another Hidden Village?" Sango said. "More ninja?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it's worth it to continue on? Any demons out there in the sand?" Inuyasha asked the group.

"I think we've gotten an idea of what's out here. We should head back and tell the village what we've found." Sango stated. "There is no way for us to take this on on our own."

"Sango's right. We can't do this on our own. That, and, we aren't prepared to cross the desert."

Sesshomaru nodded, taking it all in. "We'll rest and then begin the journey back."

The next day Kagome and Sango went out to hunt while the others remained in camp planning their route back. When they'd taken down a deer and a few small animals they returned to camp. There was something off, however, as they got closer. There was a group of ninja on the road near their campsite. It was obvious that the ninja didn't trust the two demons and were attempting to push them off the road. Kagome sped up to intervene.

"Stop!" Kagome yelled. "We are here under orders from Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. Under whose authority do you seek to remove us?"

The clearing was silent for a moment. "We're an envoy from the Sand! We are traveling with the Kazekage himself! So, move!" A young girl yelled.

Kagome raised her eyebrow at the mention of the Kazekage.

"Listen here you brat!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Inuyasha, shut up." She said calmly.

A sudden commotion drew their attention from the girl. A black clad figure pushed its way through the small crowd. The man pulled the girl back. "Calm down, Matsuri." The man said before he lifted his head to address the other group.

He paused. "Kagome?"

"Kankuro?" Kagome felt a little stupid. Who else did she know who wore back in the desert and had purple on their face.

"Long time no see. Didn't expect to find you out this way."

Kagome shrugged. "Same could be said for you."

Both Matsuri and Inuyasha voiced their shock that the two knew each other. Kagome thought for moment explaining about explaining that they had met as enemies during the chunin exams but thought better of it. Her companions would not understand the situation and it would get too complicated. It seemed that Kankuro had similar misgivings about explaining to Matsuri.

"Kankuro, what's going on?" A dry voiced asked from down the line.

"We found an old friend." Kankuro said wrapping an arm around Kagome's shoulder.

"Lord Gaara," Kagome responded with a bow.

"Kagome Higurashi," he relied with a similar bow.

He called for a break and settled himself with Kagome's group. They discussed their mission and their plans for their return. Matsuri watched it all, barely understanding what they were talking about. Eventually, Kagome pushed the subject toward why the Sand ninja were heading toward the Leaf village.

"The chunin exams." Kankuro stated as though it was obvious. "Matsuri, here, and her teammates are all participating. Hopefully, it won't be as exciting as our year, right?"

With that Matsuri perked up. "You guys were in the same chunin exams?"

"Oh yeah, and I'm glad I didn't have to face that one." Kankuro said pointing at Kagome.

"Oh, come on, we almost fought. Just not in the chunin exams." Kagome replied with a smirk.

"That wouldn't have been a fight, that would have been a bloodbath and we both know it." Kankuro exclaimed and Gaara laughed. "You took away my only defense, I was helpless and out-numbered. It wasn't fair."

Kagome laughed as well and seeing Matsuri's confusion explained, "Kankuro and Temari were having a little spat with a couple of my teammates and a friend. When I got there Kankuro was about to use the Crow against that friend. I used a seal to keep him from doing so. By then there were four of us against the two of them. He was lucky Gaara stepped in to save them. Between Sasuke and I, we could have done some serious damage."

"Lord Gaara could've taken you!" Matsuri shot.

The older ninja laughed. "No doubt, but at the time he wasn't involved. He was nearby but not acting to help. When he did, he put a complete stop to the fight."

"I didn't need to get involved. Besides, fighting outside the chunin exams was prohibited and, despite wanting to fight the two of you, I believed I could wait until the exams." Gaara stated simply.

"There's fighting in the chunin exams?" Matsuri asked worriedly.

They all turned to look at her. Before she had been all blustering and confident but not she looked almost too young to be heading for the exam. Had the Rookie Ten looked like that once? Kagome let out a deep breath. "Don't worry. The chunin exams isn't made to break you, it's meant to test whether or not you are ready to be a chunin. If you've prepared, you'll be fine. I promise, I passed and rust me, I wasn't really ready."

"Then how did you advance?"

"She cheated." Kankuro muttered and received a glare from Kagome. "What?! You went from a genin to a jonin in like 2 days. That's cheating! I don't care who you saved." Kankuro crossed his arms like a child.

"Who-?" Matsuri started, obviously confused.

"The Lord Hokage at the time. He was under attack by a man then known as Orochimaru. I got to him in time and helped to fight Orochimaru off." Kagome said. "However, you shouldn't count on an event like that to help you out. Don't worry, if these two are with you I'm sure you're ready."

"Besides, you can probably do better than some of her teammates." Kankuro said before leaning down to whisper. "Two of them are still genin."

"What? Really?"

"Yep. They're probably participating this year. Who knows if they'll actually succeed."

Kagome shrugged. With the amount of experience they both had should have put them at the rank of jonin, if not chunin. It surprised her that Tsunade hadn't advanced them on their own merit and would make them retake the exams. Though, it could easily be her way of keeping them busy and off the road to look for the Gang. It was also likely to get Sasuke back into Village life.

"Lord Kazekage," a ninja said coming up to the group. "We need to continue on."

"Right." Gaara said standing. "We you be joining us?"

"Yes." Kagome answered without any consideration.

Gaara stepped into his cart and the rest took up their places along the caravan. The Gang joined them with Sango and Kagome taking up a pace near the front. The pace was slower than they would have made in their own but none of them complained. There was no need for them to be back in the village. Though Kagome could tell that Sango was eager to return to her children and there was some part of Kagome that wanted to return to her old team.

"So, tell me, what is this chunin exam?" Sango asked quietly.

"It's the method used to test whether a ninja is ready to advance. Children in most villages go to an academy before they become a ninja. They study the basics, how chakra works, etcetera. When they graduate most go on as genin, the lowest rank, to train under a jonin, an experienced ninja." Kagome explained.

"Like you."

Kagome nodded. "After some time, the jonin will recommend them to take the chunin exam. It's a three-part test that tests the skills required of a chunin. Chunin are often called on to lead certain missions and carry a military rank equivalent to that of captain."

She and Sango spent the rest of the discussed the ranking system. The hardest part to convey was the rank of anbu. There was no way to explain the secretive force or even an equivalent from the past to help. When explanations failed they turned to discussing the Kages and their roles in the government and what it was like in areas where there weren't any. Discussing the mechanisms of the world seemed natural and easy, safe even. If the topic seemed strange to their companions, none of them said anything. Kagome almost wondered how many of them knew. The thought made her stomach sour.

Days passed and Kagome could feel the boarder of the Land of Fire growing closer. Nervousness clawed at her at the thought of facing the village she had called home. She wasn't the only nervous one, Matsuri seemed to be growing quieter as the days went on. Finally, when the girl had stopped speaking and eating, Kagome fell back to talk with her. Just as Kagome came beside her a dark feeling washed over her. From the front of the group Kagome heard a shout of warning from Inuyasha. The next thing Kagome knew the caravan was surrounded by lizard demons. Kagome cursed and pulled the girl to the ground just as one of the demons attacked.

"Stay down, Matsuri." Kagome ordered.

She pushed the demon away with her miko powers and drew her sword. Focusing on protecting the Sand ninja, Kagome managed to fall into step fighting off the lizards. All of the sudden a wire shot out from behind her. Kagome turned and saw Matsuri staring down the horde of demons with a Johyo in her hand. Cursing, Kagome turned fully and ran toward the girl. Just as she reached her, pain ripped through her right leg. She collapsed, pulling the girl down with her. Covering the girl, Kagome formed a bow and arrow from energy and took down several demons in a row. A cheer from around her told her that the demons had been killed or chased off.

"Thank the gods." She muttered falling back to the ground.

"Kagome!" Sango yelled. "Your leg!"

"Let me through," a man's voice demanded. There were hands on her leg and she blacked out. _Poison._

The next time Kagome woke she was being cared on someone's red clad back. "Yasha?" she asked.

"Hey there sleepy head. How you feeing?" the half demon asked.

"Tired, sore. How long have I been out?"

"About a day. That healer did a pretty nice job on your leg. Might not even scar. The venom didn't seem like a problem either." He replied. "If you feel up to it you might even try walking. But you should try to wake up first."

She hummed in agreement. "Matsuri?"

"A little shaken but unharmed. She blames herself. I kinda agree."

"Inuyasha." Kagome growled and she felt him tense instinctually. "She's just a child. She wanted to help. Unlike us she knows nothing about demons. You can't blame her."

Her companion grunted and Kagome found herself drifting back to sleep. She found herself waking again in what must have been in the early morning. The group had made camp and there was a small fire going. She pushed herself up off of a seeping mat and examined her surroundings. Sango was sleeping near her but she couldn't find Inuyasha or Sesshomaru and assumed that they were patrolling the area.

"Your awake." Kagome jumped at the soft voice. She turned and found Gaara sitting at the edge of the group, apparently, keeping watch on the area around them.

"Gaara, what are you doing?"

"A Kazekage should keep watch over his people, in every sense." He replied, tone hinting at a smile. "That, and sleep has never been easy for me."

Kagome stood and limped to sit beside him. That sat in companionable silence while the sun rose above their camp. When they had first met, Kagome would never have thought of just sitting with him like this. Now, though, it felt completely natural. As they parted to leave he gave her a shy smile before climbing into the carriage. In the distance, Kagome could see the gates of the village guiding her home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Sasuke examined his registration card. The chunin exams were his way back in to the village's good graces. And maybe, Kagome. His hope pushed him forward. Between mornings with Team Kakashi and afternoons with Itachi he was pushing himself to near exhaustion. He wondered if this was what it was like for Kagome before she joined Team 7. If she had pushed herself this hard to feel strong enough to protect her friends. If she could do it on her own so could he.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called running into the Uchiha compound. "Itachi."

Itachi relaxed and stepped aside. "What is it?"

She looked between the brothers. "She's back." Sasuke felt his heart stop. "Kagome's back."

"Where is she?" he asked breathless.

"She's at the hospital. She's fine, they're just checking a mostly healed wound on her leg. Lady Tsunade is with her now."

Sasuke looked at Itachi. His older brother nodded slightly and the two friends left. They ran the whole way, Naruto met them at the door with Kakashi. Apparently, Sakura knew where she was as she weaved through nurses in the hallways. She led them up to an empty ward on the third floor. A curtain was pulled in front of a bed at the very end and Tsunade stood there. The Hokage was discussing something with a person behind the curtain. The look on her face was serious and made something worrying drop in Sasuke's gut. He stopped, hesitating a ways back in the ward while the rest of the team moved forward. As she passed, Sakura gave him a sympathetic smile. However, before anyone could say anything Naruto was running for the bed.

"Kagome!" he cheered.

"Hey, Naruto." Kagome's voice stated with a chuckle.

Sasuke let out a deep and continued forward. It was good to hear her voice again. The sight of her in a hospital bed was slightly unnerving but she was obviously fine now.

"What happened out there?" Kakashi asked.

Her blue eyes darted to the Hokage. "We'll continue this discussion later." The blonde woman said with a nod.

She turned and left the ward. Kagome began explaining about finding Gaara and the Sand delegation on the road. The mostly healed wound on her leg, she said, had come from an unexpected demon attack. She'd gotten lucky. The healers from the Sand had perfected dealing with poisons after Sasori's attack on the Sand. It still hurt, just a bit, but she would live. Sasuke let that sink in.

"What about the mission before that? What's it like out there?" Kakashi asked.

Kagome's eyes darkened. "Not good. There are a lot of demons and not enough people who know how to fight them. We didn't….We didn't even make aa dent." She shook her head. "Let's not talk about that. I want to get out of here." She tried to stand. "A little help?"

Sasuke stepped forward and gave her a hand up. He didn't say anything or hold her hand too long. If she didn't return his feelings anymore, he would not make her uncomfortable. He stepped back and let Kakashi help her walk out. Not that she needed much help. Her limp was still pronounced but not terrible.

"So, tell me, are you two participating in the chunin exams?" she asked as they made it downstairs.

"Yeah, Kakashi got us in as a two man team." Naruto said with a large smile.

"You do know that means you can't kill each other, right?" she asked playfully.

"Yeah and you won't have Kagome or I to help you two." Sakura added.

Naruto froze. "Crap. Is there uh anyway we could uh get um…."

The two girls broke down laughing. "Relax, Naruto, I'm sure the two of you will do just fine. You've both had plenty of experience and I'm sure Kakashi's been training you. You know what skills you need to display to pass."

Naruto's face dropped into a pout and he threw his arms around her. "Thanks, 'Gome."

She patted his shoulder and then looked up over at Sasuke. She gave him a look of confidence. "Both of you can do this."

Once she managed to get untangled from Naruto they made their way to the training grounds. They spent a few hours just talking, Kagome less than any of them but that mad it feel more like old times. It was an effort on their part. They knew that Kagome was afraid of what they thought of her after everything that had happened. So, they made sure not to bring up her secrets and talk about the chunin exams or training. Anything to get her back. And she was shy, barely speaking but she was back with them.

"I hate to break this up but," Sakura said with a blush, "I have a date."

One of the silver haired men stepped into the clearing. "And I have to finish speaking with the Hokage." Kagome said standing.

The group began to disperse. Sasuke, though remained where he was. He had hoped to talk to Kagome alone at some point. Finally, when he was sure the others were out of range and Kagome was still close he reached out to her. His hand just on her arm.

"Kagome, wait." She turned and he swallowed around the lump in his throat. "I wanted to…not apologize, I know you can't forgive me. I wanted to talk. If nothing else I want to be your friend again."

"Sasuke…."

"Please. I just want to talk."

The man called for her to hurry. Her face looked torn. "Tonight," She said finally. "You can treat me to Ichiraku ramen."

She smiled and turned back toward her companion. Sasuke looked up to see the glare being thrown at him. It didn't matter. His heart was pounding from that small smile. No she hadn't said they could be friends, not explicitly. She had offered him a chance. And he'd take whatever chance he could get. He'd do his best to heal the wounds he had made. He turned and headed home just I time to miss Kagome punch the man in the gut.

Kagome made her way to where Inuyasha was waiting for her. "Stop glaring."

"Didn't that guy work for Naraku? Just saying, he might not be that trust worthy. Ow." He yelped as she punched him.

"Let's go, Tsunade's waiting for us."

He huffed a her but followed her towards Hokage Tower. Honestly, she had no idea what had made her give Sasuke a second chance. Before the battle she had hated him, basically wanted him dead. She knew that he had no clue about who Orochimaru was or what he had done. That didn't mean she forgave his obsession with Itachi or the insane need for power. Perhaps that had subsided now that the truth had come out. She could only hope. Instead of dwelling on it she turned her mind to the meeting with the Hokage just as they made it to her office.

"So, the demon problem is worse than we thought." The Hokage said looking over the Gang.

"I wouldn't say worse," Kagomme argued. "It is bad and no one is prepared to handle it but that can be fixed."

"Really?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes. If the larger ninja villages train their fighters as demon slayers they can help keep their countries safe."

The Hokage and council mulled this over. "And who would provide this training?" Koharu asked.

"We can," Sango answered. "My clan were renowned for their skill as demon slayers. I thought Kagome."

The council took in the new information. "I'll discuss it with Gaara while he is here for the chunin exams and get word to the other Kages. I'm sure they'll be seeking information about the situation. Until then I'm told some of you are considering going out again. I hope you don't plan on taking Kagome with you. I'd prefer to keep her I decent health and here to discuss these plans with her."

"No, I wasn't planning on going. Kikyo was going to take my place. However, they'll need to get someone else who can guide them and give them legitimacy."

"I'll work on that. Let me know which of you and when you are planning to leave."

With that they were dismissed. Kagome took the long way to Ichiraku Ramen to make sure she wasn't followed. She found Sasuke there waiting for her. Wordlessly she slid in on his right and greeted Teuchi. The fact that Sasuke hadn't said anything yet made nervousness pool in her stomach. She ordered and waited for him to say something. Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked at him. He was huddled over his bowl, purposefully making himself smaller. He didn't look at her or anyone else. He just sat there. It was then she noticed the glares he was getting.

"Hey," she whispered.

He jumped. "Hey."

She tried to smile. "You said you wanted to talk. You haven't really said that much."

"I'm not really sure what to say." He admitted. "I want to ask about what happened out there but like the others I'm too scared to ask."

Her face dropped. "I'm sorry. I know I pushed you al away, I was afraid that you all would hate me for keeping it all from you. I figured loneliness was better than knowing you hated me." This time it was her who curled away from him.

He reached out and put his hand on her arm, cautiously. "It's ok. Just know you can tell them, they missed you. Kakashi figured it out about the time you left and the others showed up, anyhow. Not that any of us are sure how."

"I do." She shook her head and he didn't ask. "What about you? You keep talking about everyone else like you don't matter."

"I missed you too, I just…I don't deserve to. After everything I did I can't act like I have a right to your attention."

"Hey I missed you too, you know?" she asked grabbing his arm. "I missed everyone, the way things were when we were a team. Things seem easier when I look back." Sighing she looked at her ramen. "You know what? Let's get out of here. Go someplace else where we can really talk."

He nodded and motioned for Teuchi so he could pay. The man kindly greeted Kagome, reminding her that she no longer had to pay. She was the village hero. She laughed awkwardly at him.

"Actually, I'm paying." Sasuke said.

The air grew cold. Suddenly the price was more than twice as much as it would have been for anyone else. Before Kagome could speak up in his defense Sasuke had put down even more than what Teuchi had asked for and was out of the stall. Kagome gave a small smile and followed. The walked toward the Main Gate in silence.

"You didn't have to do that." Kagome finally said.

"Yes, I did. I betrayed the village and I'm not dead or in prison, they've got to punish me somehow." He said with a shrug.

The lack of pride in his voice startled her. "Well, you said you wanted to know what it was like out there." She took a breath. "It wasn't great. There were so many demons and the villages were so unprepared for them. As much as we helped there wasn't much we could do some times but burry the bodies. We kept going. We eventually made it to the boarder with the Land of Wind and decided to head for home. By then we knew that we weren't enough to fix the problem. A day or so later we ran into Gaara and joined them."

"what happens now?"

"Good question. Some of the Gang is heading back out, they're going to see what it's like in a different area of the world."

Sasuke paused. "Are you?"

"Oh, gods no. With my leg, I'd slow them down and Tsunade has asked me to stay in the village for a while."

He sighed with relief and they returned to silence. The streets weren't crowded but they weren't alone. People walking to and from different shops gave them strange looks. They'd start to smile at Kagome before realizing just who he was and then they'd start to glare at him. Those that saw them head on glanced over them confused. It took him several moments to catch on.

"Look at us," he said with a laugh. "The village hero out on the town with the town pariah. What a pair."

"I'm not so sure I really deserve that title anymore." She whispered.

"You have saved us, Kagome, multiple times. Back then….you never did anything that earned their hatred. I have, but you didn't."

"I have. I kept the truth from all of you. If I had told you the truth then Naraku might not have brought demons into this world. You might not have gone to him." An awkward silence crept up around them. "I want to show you something."

She grabbed his wrist and led him into the training grounds. Somehow along the way her hand moved from his wrist into his hand. It felt right with the amount of trust she was showing him at this moment. Eventually the forest opened up around the old shrine. She took a deep breath and lit the lantern inside. There was confusion on his face as he looked around. He let go of her hand to poke his head inside.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"Just a place I used to come when things were hard. When I needed to be away from the house were my family died. I put up their pictures in the back and prayed when I thought about them." She said sitting down. "Kakashi found this place, somehow. He and I talked here about things."

"Those pictures. They're all of dead people except…."

"Except, you've met them. You saw Inuyasha today. Miroku and Rin live with you." She let out a shaky breath. "This is how Kakashi knew. He had seen the drawings and recognized the inspirations. I thought they were dead, for years I believed they had died because I had failed them. I put them in there to honor them."

He looked over the small shrine one last time before joining her. "This place is your sanctuary." She nodded. "Why did you bring me here?"

"You invited me to talk and I need to tell someone this because if I don't it might just kill me."

"Okay."

"Do you remember telling me that Orochimaru needed a power source to open his portal? When Naraku planned to leave my world he needed the same thing. That power source brought him and me across."

"But he said it failed, that it only brought him across. He never mentioned…"

"Because I wasn't meant to come." She took a deep breath. "I was the power source. I wasn't meant to survive. In fact I didn't." She squeezed her eyes shut. Sasuke had turned to look at her. "Naraku rode my soul across and I died. The jewel resurrected me, figured it was better to keep me as its protector than to try and find a new protector in a new world. I didn't know until Kikyo tried to help me figure out what was holding me back."

"You died." _Kagome died. Before we met, she was dead._ The thought of it just didn't fit. Kagome dying. Kagome dead. He felt like he was back in that tunnel with her body. "Why are you telling me about this? Why bring me here?"

"I don't know. I just…I knew how the others would react. I just needed to say something and I figured I could trust you. That and you aren't exactly able to blab to anyone right now."

He laughed. "You're not wrong about the last part." He smiled. "So, where do we stand."

"Friends, I think." She said. "I hope."

"I agree." They sat in silence for a while. "We should head back. I have training in the morning and you should rest."

They stood and Kagome turned out the lantern. It was late enough that most of the villagers were in bed so there were less villagers gave them weird looks. They came to the Uchiha compound first so Kagome walked him to the door of his house. They stood for a moment, just staring at each other, trying to decide what to do. Before they could figure it out, Itachi opened the door. He looked between the two with barely contained amusement. Of course, neither of them had any real reason to be embarrassed but as much as Kagome told herself that she couldn't stop her blush.

"Having a good night?" he asked leaning against the door frame.

That only made it worse. Both of them took a small step back. Sasuke glared at his older brother. "Don't," he mouthed. Itachi only smiled.

"I should go." Kagome said. "I'll see you both around." She stepped back and began to walk out of the compound.

"Auntie Kagome!" A little voice yelled as a small body collided with her legs.

At her wince both men leaned forward but she waved them off. "Hey, Noritaka. You're out late."

"He had a nightmare so I'm taking him for a walk." Miroku said jogging to catch up to his son.

"Up! Auntie! Up!" All three men tensed but she shook her head and lifted him on to her hip. "Play with me! You haven't played with me in a long time, Auntie."

"I know, I'm sorry," She winced as her leg protested the extra weight. "How about I come by tomorrow? Ok? It's late now and I-" she faked a theatrical yawn, "I'm very tired."

"Promise?"

"I promise." She said putting the small boy down. "Tomorrow."

The boy ran back to his father and Miroku nodded. Bidding farewell to the Uchiha brothers she limped home. It had been a long few weeks on the road and it was starting to catch up to her. The three men watched her go in silence. Miroku hadn't meant to stay, even as Noritaka was falling asleep in his arms. Sango had gone straight to bed after their meeting with the Hokage. In passing she'd mentioned Kagome's date with their host. It made him curious.

"Uchiha-san, can I ask you something?" The brothers froze trying to piece out which one of them he meant. "About Kagome."

Itachi shrugged and nudged Sasuke to answer. "Sure, I guess."

"What are your intentions concerning her?"

This time Sasuke had to work to ignore his brother's gestures. "Um….We're just friends. I'm not looking for more. I just want to be her friend again."

Miroku nodded. "And if she asked for more, would you deny her?"

"I honestly don't know. In the past….in the past I hurt her. I don't deserve her. If I could make her happy I would."

"Would that make you happy?" the little boy asked sleepily, unintentionally helping his father.

"I think it would."

That answer seemed to please the monk who returned to the home his family occupied. The brothers went inside as well. As Sasuke attempted to fall asleep that night all he could see was Kagome with the boy on her hip. His coloring wasn't too off that he couldn't have been Kagome's child. Not that he should be thinking about Kagome having kids. Nor should he have any opinions about said factious children. The next morning he pushed away his excitement for the afternoon when he might see Kagome. That only earned him several ass-kickings during training with the team. His exhaustion from poor sleep and pain from his earlier fights made him even worse against Itachi. Kagome showed up in the middle of the training session and proved an even greater distraction.

"Perhaps you should leave your brother a few brain cells, Itachi," Kagome called, suppressing laughter. "He has the written test tomorrow."

Sasuke groaned. "Don't remind me."

The next morning Sasuke was at least able to focus. He met Naruto at the exam room and like before entered together. They both attempted to keep a low profile as neither of them were proud that they were two of the oldest participants. It was definitely different than their first time. There were no sound ninjas or Kabuto to worry about. When they took their seats Naruto was positioned several rows behind Sasuke who was close to the front. There was a ninja just in front of him that seemed off. It took Sasuke ha minute to recognize the genjutsu hiding a jonin. _Our source of intel._ Not even needing the sharingan, Sasuke copied the answers and passed them to Naruto using a pre-devised code. The jonin along the sides grabbed several cheaters and removed them before the exam was done. However, Naruto and Sasuke remained safe until the tenth question. With the pressure on Sasuke was waiting for Naruto to have another outburst but the room cleared slightly in silence. Round One passed.

 _ **Dear sweet Jesus this got long. Sorry this took a while but it got a little out of hand and I resurrected an old story. I also am recovering from wisdom teeth surgery so a lot going on for me. I will get started on the next chapter going asap and it should be posted as soon as it's done. Happy New Year everyone. May it be a good one.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

A few days later Kagome found herself on the training grounds with some of her yearmates and a few of the Gang. Naruto and Sasuke had made it past the first round of the chunin exam and were now working on the second round. Kagome remembered the second part of their first exam. She shuddered.

"Don't worry," Ino said noticing Kagome's reaction. "They'll be fine."

"I know. I just can't help but think about the first chunin exams we all participated in. You know, the ones where we all almost died?" Kagome said.

"Nah, that wasn't a big deal. We all made it." Choji said dodging an act from Tenten.

Kagome shook her head and leaned back. "What is the second part this time around, anyway?"

Shikamaru smirked.

~Chunin Exams~ Naruto

Naruto screamed. He was frustrated. He knew it was a genjutsu but that didn't change what he was seeing. The second part of the exam was a mission, a genjutsu made to replicate reality. He was in charge of Team Seven to extract an informant from behind enemy lines. So far they had been spotted but had been able to escape and continue on with the mission. They eventually found the building where their informant was being held. Sakura and he held position, ready to escape with the guy when they had him. Sasuke was look out while Kagome and Kakashi retrieved the informant.

"They've engaged the enemy," Sasuke whispered into his radio.

"Hold steady. They can handle it."

It wasn't long before the sounds of fighting reached Naruto's ears. He tensed waiting for the call for back up. "Target is secure. Pulling out."

Kakashi appeared carrying the man on his back. Only a second later Kagome followed her sword drawn. "The enemy has spotted us."

Naruto cursed under his breath. If they got caught and didn't get the info back to the village…he would fail. And yet….No, they were all illusions. Nothing that happened here was real. Which meant the mission had to come first, before their lives. He just had to figure out how.

"Sakura, get the informant talking. Once you know everything get it written down. Kakashi, get one of your summons ready. As soon as Sakura has the intel we have to get it back to the village." Naruto ordered. "Kagome, Sasuke, the three of us are going to cover them, got it?"

The fight seemed to last forever. Just from the corner of his eye Naruto noticed Pakkun disappearing in the direction of the village. At least he hadn't failed that part of the test. Now he just needed to get his team out of this safely. Their informant was dead already. Kagome was in front of Sakura who was weakened from her efforts and was the first to fall. Even so she had made a dent in their enemy's line. Sasuke jumped in to take over protecting Sakura but they all knew what was going to happen. Naruto pulled out an explosive tag. Sakura noticed and did something similar. If they were going down they were going to take their secrets with them.*

When the explosion went off, Naruto woke up.

~Sasuke~

Sharingan active, Sasuke watched the building. He can feel Kagome at his side. Across the open space that was the courtyard, Kakashi and the others were also watching for their target. Suddenly the man stepped into view. With a quick signal they were all on the move. Kakashi's group took out the man's guard while Sasuke and Kagome went for their target directly. The man doesn't panic, though, and Sasuke begins to examine him. Before he could catch what was wrong, Kagome had pushed him away.

"Puppet!" She yelled.

He cursed himself for not seeing it. "Can you sense the real one?"

"Roof top! 5 o'clock! You go, I've got the puppet." She said.

He nodded and went after the real one. The real target is a puppet user and Sasuke cursed their intel. How had they not known?! The man struggled to fight Sasuke while controlling the puppet against Kagome. It was almost too easy to grab the man and subdue him. It turned out Sasuke was right when the man in his grip began to cackle. Below them the puppet had Kagome in his grasp. When Sasuke raised a kunai to his captives throat the puppet mimicked him with a dagger. Kagome glares up at them, yelling with her eyes for him to complete the mission. His heart hammered. There was no way…He couldn't let her….

She took the choice out of his hands. Wrenching her head to the side she pushed against the blade. On instinct Sasuke slit the man's throat. All he could see was her limp body on the walk way and Sakura standing over her. He'd failed her. Did that mean he'd failed? He jumped down and collected his team. He insisted on carrying Kagome back. They took their leave of the base and returned to the village.

Just as the Village came in sight, Sasuke woke up.

~Training Grounds~

"I don't get it." Inuyasha said. "An illusion? So what, do you have to break out or what?"

"Idiot," Kagome said, smacking him on the head. "It's a no win scenario. The genjutsu allows the proctor to put the person into a position where they are in charge of a mission. Then, when mission seems almost over, the genjutsu pushes the person to choose. Give up something important to them or give up on the mission. Giving up the mission means failing."

"Still doesn't make sense." He muttered.

"It would if you would just pay attention!" Kagome yelled. "I tried to tell you…"

Her yearmates watched on as the two screamed at each other. It was a complete change from the girl they had known growing up. Her other friends….they didn't know what to call them, seemed fine with whatever was going on. So, they ignored it. Eventually the calmed down, Inuyasha managing to come out basically unscathed.

"Geesh," he groused at her. "So, the point is to lose. What good is that to a leader?"

"A chunin or anyone, may have to put the mission before their own lives. It's a call that can be hard to make but sometimes you have no choice." Kagome said softly. "Accepting that is important. I'm sure there are more points that they'll be judged on."

"Yeah," Shikamaru interjected. "Even if they don't opt out of the genjutsu, if they don't complete the mission their given, they'll fail. They need to choose to finish the mission at all costs. Any other alternative fails the test. You lose the battle but you help the village win the war."

With that the conversation died out. The others went back to training and Kagome went back to worrying about her friends. Accepting a loss on a mission normally meant accepting the loss of life, one or more people dying to ensure success. For Naruto that would be hard. His friends were something he would never be able to give up and Kakashi had made sure to instill that in all of them in their genin training. For Sasuke, she hesitated to make any assumptions. Despite all his effort to make up for his past she wasn't sure how he felt about loss on a mission. A part of her thought that he might be callous on the battle field, just based on his experience with Naraku.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru greeted as he joined her.

"What's up?" She asked, turning her attention to him.

"I've come from a meeting with the Hokage," he stated. "She found a willing guide for us. A male from the Inuzuka Clan, I believe."

"Fitting," she smiled. "Have you figured out when you plan to head back out?"

"Three days, as soon as Sango and Miroku have figured out who will remain behind. We will head to the northwest, to the Land of Earth. Lady Tsunade has made sure to send word to her counterpart that we are coming. She hopes that they will agree to your plan."

"How do you feel about it?"

"Hn. As much as I dislike the idea of training humans, I can agree that we are not enough to handle the problem caused by Naraku. Should none of the Village accept the proposal I would expect that you would find individuals willing to learn." He nodded to the other Shinobi. "They in turn would teach others and so on. Have faith."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you."

"Hn."

It was peaceful as they spent the afternoon just sitting and watching. Relaxed, Kagome found herself dozing off on the grass. She was aware of the comings and goings of the people around her but she didn't acknowledge them. Peace was, as she had noticed since returning, something she genuinely missed. The general air of happiness seemed to cocoon around her. For a moment, everything seemed normal. Within seconds, however, that peace and normalcy was shattered. Her eyes popped open to see what was wrong. Naruto and Sasuke had joined them.

"Hey guys," Sakura greeted cautiously. "How'd it go?"

Neither answered and something gnawed at Kagome. "They passed." Kakashi stated pushing them to sit down. "This is just residual from the genjutsu."

"What happened?"

Naruto started mumbling which got Sakura yelling. Seconds later, Naruto was spilling his guts about the "mission" he'd been given. He explained about being put in charge of Team Seven and having to rescue an informant behind enemy lines. Knowing where it was going, Kagome turned her eyes to Sasuke. He had curled into a ball against a tree. There's something guilty in the way he keeps his eyes down and Kagome shifts a little closer. The sounds must have alerted him to her plan. He looked up and met her eyes for a moment. He flinched before looking back down. Instead of being deterred, Kagome continued to shift closer as Naruto continued his story.

"Sasuke?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "Later."

She nodded and settled in her new spot. When Naruto finished his story, Shikamaru began to rant about how Naruto had taken the test a little too seriously. Apparently, committing team suicide was not a part of the test's design. The argument leads to a discussion about the third part of the exam. Another tournament. Both boys, according to Naruto, were confident that they had earned enough credit to move up to Chunin as long as they showed off their respective skills.

"Well, I'm sure we'll see you around here for a while then." Tenten said. "I've got to go, meeting up with Neji and Guy for dinner."

"And I have to get home. Dinner with my parents." Sakura said.

The group dissipated, each making their excuses, until it was just the two of them. "Do you want to talk?" Kagome asked.

Sasuke nodded then quickly added, "Not here."

She nodded slowly as he stood. Instantly his hands dropped to help her up. Once she was on her feet, Sasuke began to lead her in the same direction that she had led him the night before but he didn't know the way. Sensing his hesitancy, she took the lead. When they came to the shrine, he guided her to the steps to take at seat and then began to pace in front of her. She sent out a wave of calm in response. He paused and looked at her in shock.

"Relax," she said with a smile. "Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

"My mission was different than Naruto's," He started. "It was an assassination. The others took out the guards while you and I went directly at the target. He was a puppet master and the individual we were going after was a puppet. You fought the puppet and I went after the target. And then…" His voice choked off. In that moment, he was on the ground, his head in his hands.

She let him have his moment. "Shikamaru explained the test to us. You were meant to fail, someone was supposed to die." Sasuke looked up at her, shocked that she knew. "I think that there was a bit more to the test than that. The casualty was meant to be something or someone important. Look at Naruto. What's important to him?"

"Becoming Hokage and…and his friends." He whispered.

She nodded. "And in dying as he did, he gave up his dream. He also failed to protect his friends. The test made him give those things up."

"I lost you." He said. "You were my casualty." She looked down at him. "I got to the puppet master and had him, knife at his throat. His puppet had you in the same position. If I killed him, he would have you killed. You took the choice away from us both, you threw yourself onto the knife." Kagome tried to swallow her horror. "You were my only loss on that mission."

"I'm almost touched," she said. "That's definitely something I would have done."

"Based on your theory, you're the most important thing to me. That doesn't upset you?"

There was silence. Ice trickled down his spine as he tried not to look up at her face. He was suddenly afraid that they would lose the weak friendship they had now. The silence dragged on until he wanted to just run, run and hide where she wouldn't have to suffer his presence.

"Sasuke," she whispered and he flinched. "I know you still have feelings for me and….I still….I never sopped having feelings for you. I tried, Gods know." She laughed sadly. "Yesterday you didn't want to apologize or ask my forgiveness, that you didn't deserve it. And before you make that argument again, listen. You went looking for power, yes with an enemy of the village but not with someone you knew had hurt me. You didn't know who he was because I never told anyone. I forgave you, I don't know when, I guess I just realized how much I was forcing myself to hate you." She sighed. "This is getting sappy. How about we agree on one thing?"

"What?"

"We let things progress naturally. We don't push the other, we move forward, and, more importantly, we let the past be the past."

"I think I can agree with that."

 _ **A few notes:**_

 _ **Part II of the Chunin Exams-From my research (shoddy at best) I found that the second part of the Chunin exams changes to keep the participants on their toes. I found a couple of examples from the manga and anime but no full explanation of them. So I wrote my own. As states the participant is put into a genjustu to test the participant's commitment to their village. The set up is that their village is at war and they are then assigned a mission to help their village win. However, they are doomed to fail in some way. They have to choose to put their all into the mission for the betterment of the village. (I hope this makes sense.)**_

 _ ***Ok so I starred this one for a reason. It is stated in the village that ninja's bodies carry secrets, especially their villages secrets. When they die, their bodies retain those secrets. This is why there are hunter nins that dispose of the bodies and the secrets. Team Seven has two Sharringan users, two students of the Sannin, and Kagome. Because the mission (Naruto's) was about information, if their bodies had been found their enemy would have gained those secrets. Hence they destroyed themselves. (Yeah, that went darker than I actually intended. Sorry).**_

 _ **Kag/Sas is….developing. It's not going to be a romance novel(I hope). I want the two of them to heal and forgive. So I purposefully hurt Sasuke cause I'm a bitch. You love me anyway.**_

 _ **This story is not going to have a giant villain or big plot. This is how the world stabilizes and finds a new normal. The important thing in this story is that Kagome and the Naruto world are couping with the changes and recovering from Naraku.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Three days after the second part of the Chunin Exam, Kagome watched her friends leave for the Land of Earth. This time the plan was to come back in time for the tournament. Hopefully, they would be bringing the Kage with them when they returned. Sango would remain behind so that she and Kagome could build a program designed to train all levels of shinobi to fight the new demons. Right now, they couldn't focus on a single style of training as no one knew anything about demons. They worked to fit the program around the Academy, around genin team training, chunin duties, and the leadership of jonin. Kagome personally looked in to anbu training. The skills they would need were there, all they would need was knowledge. So, books and pamphlets were written. As her leg healed, she spent more and more of her free time with her old team.

Within a week Kakashi started using her as a sparring partner for the boys to test their abilities against random opponents. "Come on, Naruto! Keep your arms up." He instructed as she fought the blond.

After Kagome landed another hit, Kakashi stopped the fight and began to correct Naruto's stance. She made her way over to Sasuke and her gear. "Enjoying the show?"

"Watching Naruto get his ass handed to him is always fun," he replied. "Are you sure your leg is up to all this?"

"It stopped hurting a few days ago, and Tsunade cleared me to go back to my duties when necessary. Right now, I could use to get the strength back up. And besides," she smiled, "Naruto isn't that big of a challenge."

He laughed. "What about me? You think you could take me?"

"Wanna find out?" she asked with a smirk.

He returned her smirk and stood up. They stepped off, away from where Kakashi was instructing Naruto, and prepared to fight. That day Kagome had the upper hand. She beat him, much to Naruto's amusement. When they'd finished training for the day Naruto dragged them out for ramen at Ichiraku. Sasuke was still treated coldly but he bore it and they parted. The next morning Kagome worked with Sango going over weaponry and jutsus. Weapons were easy, sharp blades were the best choice for demon slaying. Jutsus, however, could not be easily translated. It haunted Kagome as they worked through the training. Eventually, she couldn't keep it to herself.

She was packing up her gear after training with Sasuke and Naruto when she caught Sasuke's arm. "I need to talk to you. Can you meet me later tonight?" She whispered.

She didn't need to say where. They had taken to retreating to her sanctuary whenever they needed to talk. He never sought her out there, he always waited for her permission. It was clear that Kakashi used to seek her out there but he was never brave enough. He asked and she allowed him in or she asked and brought him there. Either way he took her lead.

"Of course," he replied.

That night he found her waiting for him, a ball of nervous energy. She reminded him of Naruto the way she couldn't sit still. When she saw him she jumped to her feet and stood in front of the shrine.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," he said cautiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not necessarily _wrong._ " She said looking away. "I do need your help." His heart stuttered with worry. "When we came back, I proposed that ninja villages could help bear the burden of fighting demons. Tsunade agreed to hear me out and help broach it with the other Kages. So, Sango and I have been working to plan out how to train ninja to fight like demon slayers. We've gotten taijutsu covered but ninjutsu…."

He let out a breath of relief and smiled. "You had me worried there."

"What?"

"You were making it seem like you were going to drop another bomb on me." He smiled even broader. "I was worried you were in real trouble."

She met his eyes. For a moment, she felt frozen. Had she seen him smile like this before? Had he ever smiled like that _at her_ before? Her heart stuttered a bit as she realized what he meant. Because she had been nervous about explaining their plan to him and been vague when asking for his help, he had been worried about her. He had been afraid for her. A blush rose to her cheeks. She hadn't meant to scare him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't….I was worried about how you would react." She said slowing down. "I've been keeping this from you, not because I didn't trust you but because, I had no clue what I was doing. I still don't really." Her voice was starting to speed up again. "I just…"

"Hey, it's ok. I understand. So, fill me in. What do you have so far?" He said putting his hands on her shoulders.

She relaxed and they settled down for the night. They spent hours going over the plans that were already made. He read them over and made suggestions, especially noting the differing kekkai genkai that needed to be factored in. It was getting later and later and they hadn't gotten into the meat of the problem: ninjutsu. He could see why it was a problem. It could, however, be conquered if approached correctly. Some jutsu would be better than others. Shadow Clones would be good for overwhelming individual demons and making small teams worth more against hordes. Some barriers and binding types would also be effective in helping subdue demons. He jotted down his notes in the margins of her papers. He turned to ask her a question but found her asleep against his shoulder. It felt natural and despite the nagging fear that she would panic later, he stayed still. The stars were brighter out here than in the village. He stayed up gazing at them until he too fell asleep.

Despite falling asleep later, Sasuke awoke first. Kagome was stilling curled up at his side. He felt the same peace he had last night. He watched the beginnings of the sunrise over the trees just as Kagome began to stir. He kept himself calm and still and he sensed her panic. On instinct, he caught her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's ok," he said. "You fell asleep, we fell asleep." He turned and smiled.

She was blushing. "We should get going. Your brother will be looking for you and Sango will worry if she can't find me at my house."

"Yeah." He stood and turned to go.

He had made it to the edge of the clearing when she called out, "Thank you, for…for everything."

He smiled. With a final nod, he was off. Kagome hadn't been wrong when she had worried about Itachi. Their relationship had recovered enough that Itachi felt comfortable enough playing the older brother card which entailed waking Sasuke up, cooking, and being overly concerned with Sasuke's whereabouts. Granted, Sasuke's actions had garnered that reaction from almost everyone. Sasuke just wasn't sure that he as quite ready to explain to Itachi what was going on with Kagome. He planned on keeping their agreement between them for a while.

However, sneaking in past a former anbu was not as easy as he had hoped.

"Hello little brother. Have a nice night?" Itachi asked from the doorway to Sasuke's bedroom.

"Umm…"

Itachi smirked. "Get cleaned up and meet me in the kitchen for breakfast."

Ten minutes later Sasuke found himself across the kitchen table from Itachi. His brother was reading the newspaper and calmly drinking his tea. Something about the situation had Sasuke on edge. He really wasn't sure if he was ready to have this conversation.

"So are you going to tell me what you two got up to last night or should I just draw my own conclusions?"

"Nothing happened." Sasuke stated bluntly. "We were…I was…I was helping her with this plan she's making to present to the Hokage. We were working and we fell asleep. Besides," he sighed. "We aren't like that. After what I did, I don't think we ever will be."

With that Itachi put his tea aside and folded his newspaper. "Then what are you doing with her?"

Sasuke paused. "I'm just…I want to regain her trust, her friendship."

"You want her forgiveness."

"I know I shouldn't." Sasuke said quickly. "I know it's selfish. But I wa-"

"You already have it." Itachi interrupted.

"How do you know?"

Itachi sighed. "Think about it. A girl like that wouldn't let you close if she hadn't. The wounds you caused are healing."

"She told me," Sasuke whispered. "She told me she had forgiven me but…I'm almost too afraid to believe her. I'm afraid that if I push too far she'll shut me out again or I'll do something stupid and I'll-"

"Sasuke. Breathe." They paused while Sasuke attempted to relax. "You need to trust yourself. She can't fully trust you if you don't trust yourself. Now eat up. I'm going to have to kick your butt today to teach you not to stay out all night."

That day when he showed up to train with Kakashi he is extra sore. The moment Kagome sees him, however, her bright smile dulls the ache a little. They don't speak about the night before but they move a little easier around each other. That didn't mean she took it any easier on him. He ends the session with several cuts and bruises but Kagome didn't move to heal him. He realized that the last time she had his curse mark had lashed out at her. Before he could explain Sakura appeared and helped him out.

~1 month later~

Kagome had remained a staple of Sasuke's training regimen. Their growing friendship didn't hold her back from going all out. This in turn pushed Sasuke to learn more, push harder, and in general, fueled his desire to win against her. He had almost forgotten that he was training for the chunin exams. That didn't matter as much as the way Kagome moved or the way she smiled as they spared. In their free time the worked out the type of jutsus that could be shifted to fight demons. It felt easy.

One day as they spared, Sasuke managed to dodge a blow and then get in close, taking her by surprise. Next thing she knew he had her pinned. It was the first time he had taken her down. While the fight hadn't been all out, they had been fighting hard. The lay there panting for a while before they realized what kind of position they were. Sasuke froze. He hadn't intended to do this. Just as he was about to push away he felt her start to laugh beneath him. Suddenly, he was laughing too.

"Well, I'd say Sasuke is most definitely ready. Don't you agree Kagome?" Kakashi asked looking down at them.

"Wholeheartedly." She said with a smile.

Sasuke stood and reached to pull her up. Once she is on her feet they are face to face again. Closer, even, than before. His mind is racing, debating the merits of stepping back and away or closing the gap and kissing her. _Don't push your luck! You're just friends, remember?_ He reminds himself. He takes a small step back.

"Does that mean I can sleep in until the exam?' he jokingly asked.

"Don't push your luck," Itachi quipped. Kagome laughed again.

"Hey, what about me?" Naruto yelled.

Yamato had been training with him while the others had been paying attention to the sparing match. Now that Sasuke had been cleared they all turned their attention to Naruto's training. Sasuke was dismissed and allowed to go home. He hesitated, wanting to talk to Kagome, but she was called away. She caught his eye and mouthed, _tonight._ He knew what she meant. His heart leaped at just how well they were starting to know each other. He didn't expect anything romantic, just to talk to her.

That night Sasuke made it to the shrine first. He hesitated, this was her place, he was a guest. He took a seat and waited. Resting there, Sasuke felt almost completely at peace. A sudden presence cut through him and he jumped. Standing in front of him was Kakashi, his teacher and father figure. Blood rushed from his face. It wasn't really a secret that he and Kagome were friends now but Kagome didn't take anyone here, Sasuke knew that. His sensei was smirking when Sasuke managed to meet his eyes.

"You two are really less discrete than you think." Kakashi said.

"Umm….It's not what you think?"

"And what do I think?"

"We're friends!" Sasuke yelled. "We're friends and it's great! There are still…feelings but right now it's just about...repairing the damage."

There was a moment of silence. "And how's that going?"

Sasuke relaxed. "She forgave me and I'm regaining her trust. That's what matters to me."

"What about her? Do you trust her?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation.

There was a hint of a smile behind Kakashi's mask. It irked Sasuke to no end. Couldn't people just leave them be? They were working things out, letting all of it happen, and minding their own business. Why couldn't others do the same? As he was going to voice those complaints there was a rustling behind Kakashi. Kagome stepped into the clearing carrying a small sack. She was nervous at the sight of Kakashi standing in the clearing. Her eyes darted between them, nervously.

"Sensei," she greeted.

"Kagome, I just thought I'd check in but I see I'm interrupting." There was a small breath, almost a laugh, from behind his mask. "I'll leave you to it."

The moment he was gone Sasuke was on his feet. "How much did you-"

"I got here around the time he asked you if you trusted me." She answered. "Thank you." She smiled up at him. "For saying that."

"It's the truth. I thought you knew that." He replied, relaxing. "Anyway, I wish people would stop prying into our lives."

"I know what you mean." She sighed and he gave her a questioning look. "Sango got to me that morning we stayed out all night. She just knew the moment she saw me. Then Tsunade got me in one of our meetings."

"Hoow did she know?"

"Your notes." She answered dumbly. "I should her the help you'd given me on the use of jutsu against demons. I wasn't going to take credit for your work. I think Gaara even had a few laughs at my expense we he figured out what was going on. He hasn't said anything but he isn't stupid."

Sasuke groaned and sat back down. "We can't catch a break."

"No, we can't," she replied. "But hey, I brought food."

Sasuke looked up at her. The sack she had brought contained a set of bento boxes. She smiled shyly at him. Falling back into their normal routine, they spread out the bit of cloth and set out the boxes. They ate the meal in almost complete silence, simply enjoying the peace of the moment. For a moment, Sasuke was back during their chunin exam as a full team. Kagome had kept them alive in the Forrest of Death with her cooking. Without her preparation and skill, they would have starved. She was better, he noted, when she had a real kitchen and fresh ingredients at her disposal.

"Do you remember the last time we shared a meal you cooked?" he asked her.

"The Forrest of Death, when Naruto tried to open the scroll." She answered.

"I was thinking about it." He smiled. "I'm honestly not sure how we would have survived without you."

"You would have found away."

"You have more faith in us than we deserve."

"Are you nervous?" she asked. "About the tournament?"

"A little. I think I can handle the fighting aspect but I don't know if it will be enough to promote me to chunin. I need to get back to being a real shinobi. I can't remain a genin forever."

She nodded solemnly. "What are you going to do if you don't get promoted?"

"I don't know." He whispered. "The chunin exams are my way to become a real shinobi and regain the bonds I severed. Itachi has been able to settle in as a homebody but I don't think I could. Especially not now. I need to help keep my village safe."

A smile spread on her face. "Then I think you'll succeed, even if you fail. I have faith in you."

They finished their meal and made their way home. Neither was comfortable calling these moments 'dates' but each day they seemed to be getting closer to it. Just as Sakura and Lee were spending more time together, so were Kagome and Sasuke. By no means were they as far along. He did join her on the day her friend returned from the Land of Earth with the Tsuchikage. He did his best to give her his support as she was introduced to the man. However, he couldn't go with her to meet with the three Kages. And after that he didn't get the chance to talk to her before the tournament.

Kagome was ushered away from the gates and Sasuke by Sango and Sesshoumaru for the first meeting between the three Kages. She felt bad, she wanted him there with her. After all he had helped with the plan as much as Sango had. The moment they arrived at Hokage Tower, however, she learned that not even Sango would be with her. The first day of meetings, Kagome sat silently as the three discussed the current situation. She was not called on to speak nor given any chance to provide input. On the second day, she was grilled about the past and the present. She had to explain how she and the others got to their world again and then she had to describe what she had seen when she and the others went demon hunting. The third day, the day before the chunin exams, the finally made it to the training plan. Both Gaara and Onoki, the Tsuchikage, had seen the need for more training fist hand. For most of the day they all went through the regimen, mainly for Onoki's sake. When they ended the day, the two visiting Kages agreed to look over the regimen and come back after the exams with suggestions and their willingness to join the program.

Finally, the day of the tournament arrived. Kagome found herself seated with the same group she had taken the chunin exams with. All but two sat with them.

"Hey look," Ino said with a laugh. "Everyone is here on time this year."

"Yep, both our boys managed to get here before the fights started." Shikamaru replied. "It's amazing they made it this far on their own." He looked at Kagome and Sakura.

"What?" they both said feigning innocence.

"Written exam," he pointed at Kagome. "Forrest of death," to Sakura.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Kagome said indignantly.

"We all know what you did. Don't deny it."

At that moment, the Gang appeared. They settled among them.

"What did Kagome do?" Miroku asked.

"She gave Naruto her test paper during the written exam." Neji stated.

"Neji, you might want to stay out of discussions about that year's exam." Kagome warned.

Below them the first fight was underway. It was one of Matsuri's teammates from the Sand against a genin from the Rocks.

"Why not?" Rin asked. Neji was equally confused.

"I lost, I know. I don't see why I shouldn't talk about the exam."

"That isn't what I was talking about. Or have you forgotten our run in between the prelims and the finals?"

Tenten and Sakura winced. They knew exactly what she meant. They could remember the run in where Kagome had promised to get back at Neji for nearly killing Hinata. Naruto may have dealt a blow to Neji's ego but Kagome was going to kill him if she got the chance. He was lucky she never had the chance to figure out how to follow through on her threat to shut down his organs, one by one.

"How could I? You were going to kill me." He replied.

The rest of the group made a face. Back then Kagome had been rather intense so it wasn't new to learn about a threat he had made but still, what did she have against Neji? Her old friends were even more confused. They watched the end of the match inn silence. Matsuri's teammate advanced and the next match was underway. This was Naruto's fight against a younger Leaf genin. It was almost an unfair fight due to Naruto's greater experience. Still, Naruto handle the fight with maturity, not over doing it and even helping the younger boy up after the fight.

"So, you never said, do you feel the same as you did back then?" Neji asked carefully.

"Nope," Kagome said keeping her eyes on the arena. "Naruto handled it for me. But if we had met in the arena….well, we wouldn't be having this conversation now. After all, my opponent was the only one to die that year."

"That is terrifying," Choji whispered.

"Ok, enough of all that. What is the point of this part of the exam, I don't really get it," Inuyasha interrupted.

Kagome rolled her eyes but let the others handle it. They were almost to the second round of the tournament but there was still Sasuke's match. He was facing off against another Sand ninja. The girl looked nothing like Gaara and yet Kagome found herself thinking about that match. Like Naruto, Sasuke handled the fight with a steady maturity. He didn't go all out, nor did he use the sharingan. There was an air of disappointment from the crowd. Kagome smiled, he would use it when it was necessary.

"Higurashi-san?" Shizune asked coming down to where Kagome sat. "Lady Tsunade would like to invite you to join her and the other Kages to watch the rest of the tournament."

Kagome nodded and followed. A cheer went up as they reached the back walk way. They turned. Down below Sasuke had beaten his opponent. The semi-finals were about to begin. Naruto would be up first against one of the Sand genin and then Sasuke against a Leaf genin. Kagome wondered how they would handle it if they ended up fighting each other. By the time Kagome made it up to the higher viewing area Naruto's fight was in full swing.

"Ahh, Kagome, take a seat." Tsunade ordered.

A simple chair was positioned between Tsunade and Gaara. "Yes, m'lady."

"Well, now that she's here shall we begin this discussion?" The Tsuchikage asked. "If we agree to this training who will be providing it?"

Sango had given Kagome the answer to that question. "If I may?" She asked. "One or two of us who know will go to your village to help train your teachers and team leaders. They will oversee ninjutsu training and the like to make sure the information is right. If you feel it is necessary, they will remain until only new genin and academy students need training."

The Tsuchikage made a sound but did not look away from the match. Awkwardly, Kagome turned her eyes to it as well. Both competitors were struggling with exhaustion. It doesn't take too much longer before the Sand genin collapsed. She winced. The girl hadn't been defeated. Kagome could only guess as to what damage that could do to her chances of promotion. Sasuke and another Leaf genin took their places in the arena. A new presence on the viewing platform made Kagome tense, suddenly flashing back to Naraku and the third Hokage.

"Lady Hokage," a man said. "I would like to request a brief intermission between the semi-finals and the finals. The competitors are at their limits. It would be good for them to rest and recuperate before the final fight."

"I agree. When this match is over make the announcement." Tsunade said.

The man was gone. "Good. We'll have more time to discuss."

Kagome felt small. The talks had been going well between Gaara and Tsunade. Bringing the Tsuchikage had been important to Tsunade, though Kagome could guess she just wanted to bring in another major leader. She tried to focus on Sasuke's fight. He'd pulled out the chidori but not the sharingan. She smirked. No doubt he had figured out he would be facing Naruto. The genin went down after a rather long period of hand to hand combat. The boy had taken a hard hit to the gut before falling.

"Well, looks like we're in for an interesting fight, don't you think Kagome?" Gaara asked.

"Oh yeah," she replied. "Whoever loses will never live it down. Not matter what Naruto will be absolutely annoying about the outcome."

Gaara laughed. The break was announced and Sasuke visibly sagged. Naruto did the same in the waiting area. From where she sat, Kagome could see Sakura going down to check on them. She wished she could join her teammates. Instead she prepared for a round of bombardment from the Tsuchikage.

"So, describe those that might be coming to my village. I want to know who would be training my people."

Kagome took a deep breath. She told him that it would be one that he had come here with. She left out that it most likely wouldn't be Sango or Miroku as that would disturb their family. There was also the question if she would be asked to train one of the villages or to take on students. After all, she was a jonin. Tsunade gave nothing away as Kagome rambled through her explanations and descriptions. They stopped discussing as the boys took to the arena again. Tension built between Kagome's shoulders.

"So, will we finally get to see the legendary Uchiha prowess, hm?" The Tsuchikage wondered aloud. "What do you think, Higurashi? They are your former teammate."

"Naruto will push Sasuke to go all out." She answered. _Please don't take this too far._

Below, the two were pushing at each other. Sasuke threw fire style jutsus at Naruto who responded with clones. In a surprise to the audience, Naruto pulled out his recent training with wind style jutsus. _Remember Naruto, wind feeds fire. You can't beat him with it. Find another way._ The new pressure forced Sasuke to draw on the Sharingan. Worry nagged at Kagome. The more each put into the fight, the higher the risk of each of them losing control. She knew from training Naruto, that his control over the Nine Tails was stronger but the angrier and embattled he got, the less hold he had. She was no longer sure about Sasuke's hold on the curse mark.

"Relax," Tsunade ordered. "You have nothing to be worried about."

"I wouldn't call this nothing." Kagome grumbled. "They could both lose control if they push too hard. Naruto of the Nine Tails and Sasuke of the-"

"I mean it. There is no reason for your concern. Sasuke no longer has the curse mark. He had that friend of yours remove it."

Kikyo. Kagome's heart thudded in her chest. He went to her to remove the curse mark, probably while she'd been gone. She stared down at him. They had spent so much time together since she had returned. He was holding off Naruto's Rasengan with his sword. Unlike Naruto, he no longer had a back-up plan. But that wasn't the real issue. He'd given up power. Why? Was it because Itachi was no longer a threat? Was it to regain the trust of the village? His fellow shinobi? Very few people knew about the curse mark to begin with and few seemed to know about its removal. So, why?

Just then Naruto managed to knock away Sasuke's sword. He was successfully wearing Sasuke down. A few moves later and Naruto landed a heavy punch to Sasuke's jaw. The arena held its breath waiting for Sasuke to stand. Kagome found herself on her feet, holding her breath. The proctor called the match. A loud cheer shoo, the arena.

"My Lady," Kagome gasped.

"Go."

Kagome went straight to the medical bay. The rest of her team was already there by the time she arrived. Naruto was sitting up on a bed talking to Sakura who was in full on medic mode. Sasuke was on a bed on the opposite side of the room.

"Kagome," Saskura said sternly, snapping the panic away. "Look after Sasuke, I've got Naruto."

With a nod, she stepped over to Sasuke's bed. She placed one hand on his head and the other over his heart. Exhaustion hit her like a rock as she began to sense for wounds. That was good. There was no major injury, a slight concussion but for the most part he was fine. She moved both hands to his head to sooth the damage and ease his pain. A hand reached up and touched one of hers. She opened her eyes and stared at Sasuke.

"How is he?" Sakura asked.

"A minor concussion and exhaustion. I'm taking care of the concussion but he'll need to rest." Kagome said, returning her focus to the injury.

"Good, that's good. Naruto's about the same. They should be able to go home after this and maybe go out and celebrate."

"Celebrate, what?" Sasuke asked, moving to sit up. "I lost."

"But that doesn't mean you failed." Kagome said pushing him down. "You did well out there. There's a good chance of promotion."

She met his eyes with a determined look. He smiled and let her finish. When she was done, Itachi came and collected him to make sure he got home while Kakashi took Naruto. They all agreed to meet up at Ichiraku that night to celebrate as a team. As Sakura and Kagome went to leave Shizune appeared. Heart sinking like a rock, Kagome prepared to be dragged into another meeting with the Kages. To her surprise both she and Sakura were called to the Hokage's office. They both stood by as the Kages decided who from the eight competitors would become chunins. Sakura was more involved with aiding Tsunade in the paperwork of the promotions. So Kagome rested. All of the sudden Kagome felt someone begin to shake her.

"Kagome! They did it! They both finally did it!" Sakura squealed with glee.

"About time," Kagome said groggily.

"Come on, we have to go tell them!" She took Kagome's arm and dragged her down to Ichiraku.

The boys were already there when they arrived. Sakura wasted no time pulling them into a hug and screaming the news to them. It set Naruto off into a rant about being the best ninja ever and how he was a step closer to becoming Hokage. He looked so happy, Kagome didn't have the heart to tell him that almost everyone else had advanced prior to him. Sasuke seemed to agree with her based on the look on his face. Looking at him, she remembered what Tsunade had told her during the fight. She didn't want to ambush him but she wanted to know.

"Come on, Gome! Let's get some ramen!" Naruto yelled pulling her up to the counter.

She let him and it was then that she realized Itachi had joined them. He sat on the other side of Sasuke to her with a small smile. He didn't speak up much as they ate, he was simply there to celebrate his brother's success. For the first time, Kagome was hit by just how much he cared about his brother. Their eyes met at one point and he gave her a soft smile. It wasn't so hard to be around him, she realized. Like with the rest of her friends, he had simply grown into her life.

"Ichiraku ramen always hits the spot!" Naruto said, finishing his fifth bowl. He reached for his frog shaped wallet.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Kakashi said. "My treat."

"Thanks, sensei," the blond replied with tears in his eyes. Ever the dramatic.

Kagome made no move to stand. She hoped that Sasuke would understand and stay. Most of the team had left after Kakashi paid. Finally, Itachi stood. He placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "See you at home." He said nodding toward her.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked when his brother was gone. She nodded and they headed away from the stand. "I take it you want to talk about something."

"Yeah," she said swallowing dryly. "You go the curse mark removed."

He stopped. "Kagome…"

"I'm not mad. I just want to know why you didn't tell me."

Sigh. "I wasn't sure it as right or if it would ever be. I didn't want you to think that I was pushing you to do anything. Besides, I wanted it gone. Knowing where it came from made me feel…unclean. Like I had sullied myself." He grimaced.

"Why do you think that would push me? Or that I would feel that way?"

"Kagome." She looked him in the eyes. "I gave up my search for power." She gulped. "I chose the village, I chose you. The only power I need is whatever it takes too protect the village or you."

Her chest tightened and she stepped a little closer. "You chose me…"

"I choose you over power, Kagome. I'm not going to run off in pursuit of it again."

She licked her lips. "I think…I think I'm ready to try…."

He caught on. The kiss was lighter than even their first. The pain that had cut through her during those first kisses wasn't there as they pulled apart. She rested her head on his shoulder. It was comforting to just stand there with him.

"So where are we now?" he breathed in her hair.

"Together." She said. She felt his smile.

The next morning just as they all congregated at the training grounds they were caledd to the Hokage's office. There Sasuke and Naruto received their flak jackets. It was the sign of their new status. Pride swelled in Kagome's heart at the sight of the two of them. Sasuke met her eyes with genuine happiness.

"Before you leave, I have an announcement." Tsunade said, cutting through the celebration. "I am hereby reforming Team Kakashi with members Kakashi Hatatke, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Kagome Higurashi. I want you as one of the first teams trained under the Demon Slayer Sango and prepared to go on missions as soon as possible. And, before any of you complain, Sakura is remaining in the village as a member of the medical core to finish her training under me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." They replied.

 _ **A/N: Ok this got super long and kind of arduous. I'm sorry if any part seem forced or awkward, those parts were hard to right and I almost wanted to cut the chapter but I have a plan that I want to follow. That being said I have a few points to make:**_

 _ **Kagome and her classmates (ie the other genin in the originals)- are all about 15 in this chapter. Neji and his teammates are a year or so older.**_

 _ **The next chapter will jump forward in time one year. After that it will be another 2 years (3 years after the defeat of Naraku).**_

 _ **I have a plot point that I want to run by some people without spoiling it. If you're curious mention it in your review or message me and we can talk.**_

 _ **This story has 5 more chapters to go. That might expand if there are things you all want to see, so again message me or mention it in your review and I'll let you know if I can fit it in.**_

 _ **So, thank you for reading and I hope you guys are willing to give me that feedback!**_


	6. Massive Author's note

Hi guys I know it's been a long time on these stories and it's a bit of a copout posting an author's note like this but I needed to let you guys know a couple of things. First, I am reviewing these stories. A reviewer asked me about a couple specific stories and I realized that I have a mass of unfinished untouched stories. Second, in looking back at these stories I have come to realize that they not only need quite a bit of editing and revising but I had no plot planned or the plot is now forgotten. Third, I will be working on a few of these stories over the summer. Some I will just rewrite the existing story and continue on, while others I will delete and repost with new chapters. I will notify you of each story's fate so that followers can be aware that the story will be continued or not.

Right now these are the stories that will be continuing on from their last chapter:

Their Future- I have plans for each chapter, I just have to write them out.

The World I Knew- I have plans for this story as well, just got to find the time.

Samsara- I know where this is going, again time.

Also I have thoughts for a couple of new stories (cringe):

A Labyrinth/Once upon a Time story- I have a beginning to this but the rest of the plot escapes me.

A rewrite of my Set Me Free/When you love something universe- I want to fix some plot holes that I noticed and make the story a little darker.

Another Naruto/Inuyasha crossover- This story has a first chapter, a plot, and a title! I just have to write it out.

Possibly others but I can't promise anything due to the massive work load I have right now.

I hopefully plan on tackling a story at a time. This means I should work on finishing a story before I move to delete or replace the old version. I will give you a date when the old story will be going down and the new one will go up. If you have questions or suggestions feel free to let me know in a review or in a PM. I'm posting this on ALL of my incomplete stories in the hopes of feed back on what people might want in case it will give me ideas on where to go.

Much love, Labyrinthine


End file.
